"Everything in Africa bites, but the safari bug is worst of all."
Brian Jackman (2004 Travel Writer of the Year)
Brian Jackman (2004 Travel Writer of the Year)
On July 9 I flew with my friend from Mombasa into the Masai Mara on a Douglas DC3 Dakota plane. It was beautiful flying over the Kenyan landscape and we could already see the wildlife as we were coming in to land in the middle of the Masai Mara National Reserve!
I had been on a couple of safaris before in East Africa including trips to Tsavo East, Kenya and in the parks around Arusha, Tanzania (Arusha National Park, Tarangire NP, Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area and Lake Manyara NP) but both those times we were camping in tents. I thoroughly enjoyed those safaris but decided to spoil myself this time and stay in one of the luxury tented safari camps...we ended up staying at Mara Intrepids which was a wonderful experience. The tent was beautiful, our guide was very informative and a careful driver around the wildlife and the animals were abundant. Additionally, we did the 4 am wake up to go on the hot air balloon safari which was also amazing and definitely worth the groggy wake up!
Took these pics with my iPhone...and was surprised by the cool shots I got!
The DC3 Dakota aircraft we flew in from Mombasa to the Masai Mara
Local Masai greeted us upon arrival
Gnu or Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus)
Mating!
Big ya-a-a-awn!
Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
Zebra (Equus burchelli) and Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus)
River crossing...took them a bit to get going but they finally did it!
Lioness and lion (Panthera leo) with Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) in the background
Marbou stork (Leptoptilos crumeniferus)
Topi (Damaliscus lunatus)
Zebra (Equus burchelli) and Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus)
Getting ready for take off via hot air balloon!
Soaring over the Masai Mara Reserve first thing in the morning was beautiful...and we weren't the only ones!
Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) as seen from above :)
Sunrise over the Mara...as seen from the balloon
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Hyena's (Crocuta crocuta) running along the track below us
Topi (Damaliscus lunatus) in it's typical pose watching the surrounding area from atop a termite mound
Grant's gazelle (Gazella granti)
Warthogs! (Phacochoerus aethiopicus)
More lion action...it was that time of year :)
Warthog running with his flag up (Phacochoerus aethiopicus)
Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
More lions!
Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) scoping the landscape
Panther (Panthera pardus) on the move
Leopard (Panthera pardus) with a kill in the tree
So many Banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) on the grounds of our safari tents
Local Masai
Elephants (Loxodonta africana)
This big male African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) charged into this group of Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus)
Maasai giraffe (Giraffa camelopardus maasai)
View of the airstrip we landed on from a viewing tower at the tented safari lodge
Views around Mara Intrepids our luxury tented safari lodge
View of giraffe's from the plane on one of the airstrips stops en route back to Mombasa
Mount Kilimanjaro as seen flying back to Mombasa
